No Picture

Deana Carter Six Pack

August 20, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 9

Deana CarterDeana Carter was one of the first post-Shania Twain female country stars, and she quickly proved she could sell in big numbers. Thanks to the omnipresent smash “Strawberry Wine”, she soon owned a debut album that went platinum five times over.

Radio and retail weren’t as kind to her follow-up projects, and she’d establish a pattern that would later be repeated by Gretchen Wilson – big hit, big debut, sophomore slump, third-album bomb, go indie. Her more recent albums are worth checking out, but acquaint yourself with these major-label essentials first.

“Strawberry Wine”
from the 1996 album Did I Shave My Legs For This?

In an instant, Carter became a star. She was nominated for five CMA awards on the strength of this hit. She won Single of the Year, and Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison shared Song of the Year.

No Picture

Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews, "I'm Alive"

August 20, 2009 Leeann Ward 15

kennychesneydavematthewsApparently, Kenny Chesney really believes in his new single, “I’m Alive.” Not only is it one of the new songs on his Greatest Hits collection, it can also be found on his previous album, Lucky Old Sun. Furthermore, it was already recorded by Willie Nelson for Moment of Forever, the album that Chesney co-produced with Buddy Cannon.

No Picture

BlackHawk Six Pack

August 19, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

BlackHawkA group of veteran industry songwriters and performers came together as BlackHawk, and were quickly signed to Arista Nashville, a label that had already had success with Exile and Diamond Rio. Their debut album was a smash, selling double-platinum and spawning five hits.

The band wasn’t able to match that success with future projects, despite scoring a handful of hits from their next three albums. Their sophomore set managed to sell gold on the strength of lead single “I’m Not Strong Enough to Say No”, but future projects would miss that mark. The act also left a bad taste in the mouth among some industry members when they publicly complained that less successful acts were winning Vocal Group over them, a blatant reference to The Mavericks.

Still, they produced some great songs that any casual fan of nineties country will be familiar with.

“Goodbye Says it All”
from the 1994 album BlackHawk

Their debut single demonstrated their ease at crafting hooks tailor-made for country radio.

No Picture

The Mavericks Six Pack

August 19, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 20

The MavericksEven though they never made it into heavy rotation on country radio, The Mavericks were still one of country music’s most lauded bands in the mid-nineties. The CMAs named them Vocal Group in both 1995 and 1996, and they won similar honors from the Grammys and the ACMs.

Despite not reaching the top ten with a single, they enjoyed a platinum-selling and a gold-selling album. In Canada, their albums continued to reach the gold threshold. “Dance the Night Away”, which barely dented the country chart in America, was a sizable hit in the United Kingdom. Lead singer Raul Malo has gone on to record several solo projects, along with producing other acts, including yesterday’s Six Pack featured artist Rick Trevino.

“What a Crying Shame”
from the 1994 album What a Crying Shame

Essentially their breakthrough hit, it found them ditching the political themes of their debut album for Orbison-channeling heartbreak instead.

“O What a Thrill”
from the 1994 album What a Crying Shame

A wonderfully romantic ballad that’s remarkably sophisticated.

No Picture

Producing the CMAs

August 19, 2009 Guest Contributor 12

This is a guest contribution by regular commenter, Michael Hawkins, who posts as Highwayman3.

CMAThe movies have the Oscars, the world of music has the Grammys, and that world subdivided into the country genre has the CM’s—the annual extravaganza that we fans look forward to every year. We see our favorites perform, win awards and lose with smiling gracious faces, or not [insert the inevitable Faith Hill reference here]. Everyone picks their favorites in each category as to who they’d like to win. But what about the show itself, the backdrop for which these prestigious awards are presented?

Recently, there have been posts at both The 9513 and on this site where people have been weighing in on their favorite moments from these awards. It occurred to me that none of those moments have happened in the last few years. The awards have slid into mediocrity, which is a fitting representation of the current state of country music. I understand producing these awards must be tough because you have to be everything to everyone, and acknowledge the traditional country, the Disney country, the old and new alike, and bring in people who don’t belong for the sake of ratings.

No Picture

Wade Hayes Six Pack

August 18, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 27

Wade HayesHe could’ve been – heck, still could be – one of the genre’s great traditional vocalists. The depth of his baritone was matched by its nuance, making Josh Turner sound like an amateur in comparison. Here’s hoping he’ll resurface sometime soon, since he could blow most of today’s young guys out of the water.

“Old Enough to Know Better”
from the 1995 album Old Enough to Know Better

A twenty-something anthem that exudes youthful energy.

“I’m Still Dancin’ With You”
from the 1995 album Old Enough to Know Better

It doesn’t have quite the elegance of “In Between Dances”, but his spin on dance floor loneliness is still effective.

No Picture

Rick Trevino Six Pack

August 18, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 16

Rick TrevinoThe nineties brought some artists who never became full-fledged stars, but were a heck of a lot more than one-hit wonders, either. One of those was Rick Trevino, who showed great promise with a solid gold-selling debut album. Though he strayed too far down the radio fodder road with his next two projects, that approach still produced a #1 hit in “Running Out of Reasons to Run.”

As is often the case with the young stars of the nineties, his more recent work has been strikingly compelling, even though radio hasn’t played it. Here’s a good sampling of underrated artist Rick Trevino.

“Just Enough Rope (Bilingual Version)”
from the 1994 album Rick Trevino

Trevino’s debut single is best heard in both of his native tongues.

“She Can’t Say I Didn’t Cry”
from the 1994 album Rick Trevino

No Picture

Collin Raye Starter Kit

August 17, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 24

collin_rayeWhen Collin Raye first surfaced, it seemed like he was a poor man’s Vince Gill. Nice, sweet vocals but not much depth. However, he’d reveal himself as having one of country music’s stronger song senses. At his peak, he enjoyed both commercial success and regular Male Vocalist nominations.

Most of this list comes from Raye’s first four albums, all of which were certified platinum. His music started to decline in quality toward the end of the decade, but he still put out some good radio singles. He’s been mostly quiet this decade, releasing albums on independent labels.

Ten Essential Tracks

“Love, Me”
from the 1991 album All I Can Be

One of country music’s finest tearjerkers. It put Raye on the map as a balladeer to be reckoned with.

No Picture

Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”

August 16, 2009 Leeann Ward 43

lady-antebellum-and-a-chairSometimes, it’s tough to know exactly how to fairly evaluate a song, especially one that I like, but know full well is not rooted in country music in any way. Such is the case with Lady Antebellum’s new single that is set to appear on their second album yet to be released.

So, in this rare instance that I like a song that sounds like it would fit nicely on an easy listening station rather than a country station or even a rock station, I will simply extend just that caveat before proceeding any further. This is not a good country song, but it is a fairly decent song in general terms.

main Lady A singers, Hillary Scott and Charles Kelly, join together to offer up a sonically pleasing song with a solid vocal performance and pleasant melody. While “Need You Now” could still benefit from better development, it is lyrically superior to its predecessor, the clichéd “I Run to You.” Sung as a straight duet, Scott and Kelly sing of a codependent relationship that is propelled by loneliness and being “a little drunk.”. “Guess I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.” they admit.

No Picture

Josh Turner, “Why Don’t We Just Dance”

August 15, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

Josh TurnerCountry music isn’t exactly known for its exultations to hit the dance floor, so it’s no surprise that this dance request is directed at his wife. Turner is charming as ever, even if he has a bit of trouble keeping up with the beat as he tosses off the lyrics.

It’s about as deep as Vegas rainfall, something that you could imagine Mel McDaniel singing back in his prime. Turner doesn’t sell this quite as well as McDaniel would, but he comes close enough. Regardless, it’s nice to hear his voice again.

1 320 321 322 323 324 475